Noriega surrendered the following month and was brought to Miami for trial. He was convicted of drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering in 1992. He was given a 40-year prison sentence.

Many questions still surround his trial. Some allege that parts of the case were fabricated; they also call into question the prosecution's witnesses, many of whom were drug traffickers who received reduced sentences in exchange for their testimony.

Noriega is still in a federal prison in Florida, where he lives in a two-room isolation cell. His lawyers are appealing for a reduction of his prison term.